I had a bit of a drama a couple of days before Christmas in that I developed numbness/discomfort in my lower jaw. I called the practice and they got me an appointment that day (which I couldn’t do) but offered me an alternative the following day.
I should say here – I was especially anxious that I was going to have to wait until after the festive break, as numbness can be a symptom of a very serious health condition I had previously suffered with. The lady at reception bent over backwards to reassure me that there would be someone who could see me over the whole Christmas period, and made me feel much calmer, whilst also very obviously taking my concerns seriously.
I was in for an emergency appointment with Stephanie the following day. This was the first time I had met her, but she made me feel like an old friend. Stephanie clearly knows her stuff, and operates with both well placed confidence, and a joy that is nothing short of infectious. When she welcomes you into the consultation room it is like being invited to have a cuppa at a friends house – a really bizarre but brilliant feeling when visiting the dentists!
It turned out I had an abscess in my jaw, which was a relief! My options, the pros and cons, the recurrence possibilities and both cosmetic and mechanical (for want of a better word) implications were clearly explained, and together we made a decision on what to do (largely guided by what I wanted). As I had quite a lot of swelling I was prescribed a course of antibiotics to treat that, and made an appointment to come back a little over a week later (with all the details of what to do if I needed them in the meantime).
A week later I came back to have a molar (and terrible old crown that had been fitted elsewhere) removed. I was the first appointment of the day at 8.30, which could have been a miserable start to the day, but I bet you can already guess that it was not. Greeted again like I was there for a catch up and a cuppa, rather than anxiety and dread the day was started with laughter. The procedure itself took maybe 6 minutes, and there was zero pain or discomfort. The only blip was when one of my own eyelashes fell into my eye, but as soon as I made the Slightest wince about it Stephanie stopped to make sure I was ok, and that I wasn’t in any discomfort. I was given everything I needed for aftercare, and got loads of advice on how to encourage the healing to be its best. This was followed up in an email, and then another the following day to check I was doing ok.
I am about to go back for my post-procedure checkup and feel like it is going to be a lovely break in a bad day, which says an awful lot about the experiences I have had there. This time I will be bringing my toddler with me for one of his first check ups – we have prepared by listening to the Peppa Pig dentist trip audio book, poking each other in the teeth and talking about Stephanie, and he is really excited… Hopefully he will feel the same about his experiences as I have!
If you are on the fence about signing up with Witney Dental Practice – stop hesitating and just do it!
